23 dead dolphins found on beaches in two days

On the Landes beaches, 23 dolphin corpses were discovered in two days, reports this Sunday, March 12, 2023 France Bleu Gascogne. The strong westerly wind of the past few days has probably pushed the corpses towards the coast. Pelagis, the marine wildlife observatory which counts strandings in France, went there to determine the causes of these deaths.

The observatory is convinced that these cetaceans were victims of a violent death. He favors the hypothesis of an accidental capture of fishing trawlers, “even if, given the state of decomposition of the bodies, we cannot affirm it 100%”, says a Pelagis volunteer. After examining certain corpses, he asserts that “These are dolphins that had full stomachs, so they had just eaten and were healthy.” On some corpses, ribs were broken and fins cut off.

The Sea Shepherd association, which denounces certain fishing practices that are dangerous for dolphins, must carry out a new awareness-raising action on Monday March 13, 2023 in the port of La Rochelle.